The Hot Snakes Media-produced series follows a group of young Amish and Mennonite people who opt to forgo the simple life in a bid to make it in New York City, and launches on the U.S. net next month.

Produced for the Discovery Communications-owned U.S. cable network by Hot Snakes Media, Breaking Amish (9 x 60-minutes) will follow five people as they live their sheltered community and travel to New York City where they experience things like electricity, flying in a plane, wearing jeans and riding in a taxi for the first time.

Unlike the Amish tradition of Rumspringa, the characters on Breaking Amish are serious about committing to lives outside their traditional upbringings and risk being shunned by their parents, siblings and grandparents should they decide to return to their community.

Characters include 21-year-old Kate, a Bishop’s daughter who dreams of becoming a model; 25-year-old Sabrina, a Mennonite of Italian and Puerto Rican descent who sets out in search of her biological parents; and Abe, a 22-year-old who decides to explore the big city at the behest of his mother.

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About The Author

Senior staff writer Frederick Blichert comes to realscreen with a background as a journalist and freelance film critic. He has previously written for VICE, Paste Magazine, Senses of Cinema, Xtra, Canadian Cinematographer and elsewhere. He holds a Master of Arts in film studies from Carleton University and a Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia.